Henri's Little Problem
by Onigiri49
Summary: [Liberty's Kids] Henri, now in his teens, has a 'little' problem. His friends try to figure out why it happened and how, and what they can do about it... [UPDATED and COMPLETED].
1. Ch 1!

This is a very troubling story which occurred to me COULD happen if Henri's life went astray.

note: In the show, although they don't really age and they stay the same size, in my story Henri's 22 and slightly taller, but not by much.

another note: Sarah is 29, James 28. (Old, huh? Well, you see, let's use Henri for example: The series starts in 1773 when Henri is 8. In my story it is 1787. Gilbert adopts Henri in 1786... and you can pick up from there...)

"Henri?" called out James into the darkness.

No reply.

"Henri?!" he called out softly with a hint of worry.

"I'm 'ere," came a soft French voice.

"Where are you? I can't see!" James asked the voice with searching eyes.

A rather short figure emerged beside a window where dim sunlight was shining through.

"Oh my goodness! Henri! Are you all right?!" James turned around to see Sarah running to Henri. She knelt down and hugged him tightly. Henri pushed her away slightly.

Now James saw a good view of Henri's tear stricken face. His rich brown hair fell loosely around his face. Apparently his bow had come off. He also saw his wrists bleeding a little and his body nude.

"What happened to you, man?" James questioned the 22 year old.

Sarah put a blanket around him, her motherly instincts kicking in.

Henri looked up at the two pre-adults.

"Leave me alone," he told them with a trembling voice. He walked past the two out the door. James and Sarah cast glances to each other and raced after Henri.

"Henri, please wait!" Sarah reached him with her hand. Henri nudged her off so James turned him around and held him down with both of his strong hands.

"Ennnh," Henri tried to struggle out of his hold, but James held him down harder.

Although his face was directly below James's, Henri kept his eyes down.

"Now give us a straight answer. We want the truth!" James ordered him.

"That's right! How did you get so hurt?" agreed Sarah.

Henri just kept struggling.

"Mister, you are to answer a lady when one speaks to you," she told him.

"Nnnh," Henri struggled again.

"Let him go, James," ordered Sarah.

He let go.

Henri saw their angry, worried glares. He sighed to himself.

"All right..." he closed his eyes tightly and reopened them.


	2. Ch 2!

Fresh tears swam down his cheeks. "I'm lonely."

"But we're here," interrupted James. Sarah shushed him.

"It 'urtz so much," continued Henri, "I 'ave no one. No one related to me. No parents, no siblings. No one at all..."

"Explain how you got those awful cuts on your wrists," said a disturbed Sarah.

More tears fell down. Henri looked down in angry shame.

"I did zat," he simply said.

James gasped.

"Whatever made you do such a terrible thing?!" screamed Sarah.

"I..." he hesitated, "I just..."

"Yes? You..." James urged him.

"Well... it felt good." He said sounding surprised at his own words.

"Good? How ridiculous! You inflicted pain on yourself!" shrieked Sarah.

"And pain hurts ya know," continued James.

"Oh, I know..." Henri said lowly with a sickly grin.

Sarah winced, but then gasped.

Gripped in Henri's right hand was a small, but sharp knife. Blood was drying on it.

"You really DID slit yourself. But why, man?" asked a shocked James.

"Yes, why Henri?" questioned Sarah.

"You both vouldn't understand..." he trailed off.

He sighed.

"I know you too are an orphan James... but vhen I finally got to live vith Gilbert... he got killed vithin a year," he wiped away a tear.

The two nodded, remembering that terrible tragedy of Gilbert's death.

"Since then, vhen I came back 'ere, my life 'ad just... shattered," his eyes drooped down and he walked quietly away.


	3. Ch 3!

Sarah, with a determined look on her face, went into the room that Moses slept in.

"What are you going to do Sarah?" James questioned her.

"I'm going to discuss this matter with Moses. Perhaps he can help," she answered him.

Sarah marched in and called back out to him.

"You go check on Henri. I'll be there in a moment."

With a shrug of his shoulders, James went downstairs into the print shop.

By now the sun has risen much higher and the room was lit.

Immediately his eyes fell on little Henri who was on the floor beside the door. Only his back was covered with the blanket so James clearly saw the rest of his body still nude.

Feeling uneasy to approach Henri, James slowly walked toward him. He stopped a few feet away and inwardly gasped. Indeed Henri's words were right; his expression seemed lost and alone.

James spoke to the broken soul before him.

"Mind if I uh... sit down?"

Henri's mouth twitched. James decided to sit down anyway. He slid up next to Henri.

Just then Sarah and Moses came running down the stairs.

"Here he is Moses!" Sarah loudly spoke.

"I didn't believe it at first, but now I see the truth," he said. "What happened to you Henri?"

No answer.

"He won't really tell," James told him.

Moses sighed heavily, "You two may leave. I'll speak to Henri here alone."

"But...," said James protesting.

"Come along, James," Sarah said to him with a nod.

James frowned, but got up from his place on the floor. He took one last look at Henri and the two walked out.


	4. Ch 4!

"You stay here. I'll be right back," Moses ordered him.

Henri's eyes followed him going out a door. A moment later Moses was back with a rag soaked with water.

note: I don't know if he should've gotten the water from a well (which would take long) or had some on hand...

Moses walked up to Henri.

"Where are you bleeding?" he asked.

Shakily, Henri stretched out his arms and turned them over showing his wrists painted with blood. Moses patted the cuts with the rag.

"Oooooh," moaned Henri.

"Don't worry, I'm almost finished," he assured him.

"There we go," he said soothingly, finishing up. "Well now... is everything all right?"

Henri looked up at him with hurt eyes. "Non," he said simply.

"Can you tell me why you aren't wearing any clothes?" he asked.

Henri blushed slightly. He felt very awkward being in this position.

Moses let that answer slide, seeing how uncomfortable it made Henri.

"Sarah told me you did this. Is this true?" he questioned him.

Henri's eyes grew sadder. "Oui, Moses... I'm sorry, but I 'ad to do it!"

"Why did you have to do?" Moses asked in a soft tone.

"Uh..." Henri pressed his lips together.

Moses looked at him sternly with worried, questioning eyes. Henri looked down with not a sound.

"Why can't you tell me?" he asked further.

"I… just can't... It'z..." Henri sighed, "It'z personal... not to mention embarrassing," he said in a tiny voice.

"When someone here gets hurt, it's my job to find out why," Moses told him.

Two new tears fell down Henri's right cheek. His eyes were at the floor. He was wringing his hands.

"I'll leave you here for awhile. You can tell me at breakfast," Moses left.

Henri wrapped himself up in his blanket and hugged his knees.

Gilbert: This French nobleman whose beliefs in liberty led him to America's fight for Independence. He fought in both the American Revolution and the French Revolution. In the show he adopts Henri in one of the very last episodes and they go to live in France. In my story I have it that he dies within a year and Henri is yet again left with no family.


	5. Ch 5!

A few minutes passed and Henri, Sarah, James and Moses were seated at the table. Sarah wore a mask of confusion and worry. James looked as if he knew the truth about something, but was unsure. Moses looked almost scared for Henri, not to mention heartsick and uncertain about what to do in this situation.

And poor Henri sat with crossed arms (and but only the blanket around him) with a slightly trembling lip and a depressed expression trying to look angry. (Also, of course, they were all furious that he [Henri had gone off to do such a thing as cut himself, but their concern for him was much greater.)

Quietly all tensely ate their breakfast with different thoughts inside their heads.

Sarah was the first to speak.

"Moses," she asked, "did you find anything out?"

"Sorry, Sarah. I told him we'd talk during breakfast," he answered her.

"I do not vant to talk," Henri said in a small voice.

"Come on, Henri. You have to tell sooner or later." James told him.

"I do not." Henri pushed his chair away roughly and stood up. He grabbed a handful of some rolls and left quickly.

A few seconds later, "Well, that went well," James said sarcastically.

Sarah sighed.

"May I go talk to him?" James asked Moses.

"He wouldn't talk to me earlier... okay James, but be gentle with him. He's in a lot of pain right now," he replied.

"Yes, sir," said James.

He went back to the print shop half expecting to find Henri beside the door.

He didn't.

"Hmmm..." James walked around the room looking. As he neared the stairs he heard a slight choking sound from up in his (and Henri's) room.

He quickly walked upstairs into the room. What he saw was Henri crying hard to himself silently. James could tell that he was through the shaking of his small body. Henri's crying caused him to be choking on his rolls while he was eating.

Henri looked up to see James staring at him in alarm and sadness. He gulped a big breath of air to calm himself down, shoved the rolls away, and gazed at an empty wall near him.

James could tell he was still crying a little though. 'He must really be shaken to cry like this,' he thought. James walked up to Henri and lied down in front of him. He looked up at Henri's face. His appearance was so miserable that James stared down at the floor instead waiting for Henri's next move.


	6. Ch 6!

They both stayed as so for about a moment when James just couldn't take it anymore. He sighed a long breath to get Henri's attention.

He was almost certain Henri would pay him no mind when he felt cold, hard eyes look into his. He looked up to find himself gazing back at Henri. He spoke, "Do you want to talk about it?"

Henri shifted his eyes to the ground, and then back up to James' eyes. He said nothing.

"Maybe I can help you. Whatever it is that is setting you off like this can be helped: by me." James said softly, while pointing at himself. He stared a bit longer at Henri and absent-mindedly grabbed a nearby roll and munched on it quietly. After a while he spoke, "You hungry?"

"Non," came the response.

James chocked a little. "How can you not be? You love food!"

"Not lately." Henri's expression had not changed. He still seemed to want to avoid James as much as possible. In fact Henri decided to stand up right at that time and he walked out the room almost knocking into Sarah.

"Henri!" Sarah shouted in a worried tone, not one so much out of anger of the run in.

Henri averted her and continued out. Coming up the stairs was Moses. Henri walked right past him and descended the stairs.

Moses glanced behind and turned around.

"Young man, where do you think you're off to?" he asked him.

"Out," was Henri's only answer. And out he did. He opened the door and walked out with only the blanket, for once without food, and into the cold.

It was November in 1787. On this particular day the weather had a cold wind. Henri shivered in the icy air. 'What am I doing at 'ere? I'm more miserable out 'ere than I am inside!' he screamed in his head. He headed back to see Moses rushing out. Moses pulled him in and brought him back upstairs to his room where James and Sarah were.

Henri groaned to himself as he saw he was seated on a brown chair that seemed to have been moved into the room for what was going to happen: a talk.


	7. Ch 7!

Henri gazed up at Moses with an angry look, but one also holding guilt.

"Well, Henri. Now you are going to talk," Moses ordered him.

"Why did you go out into the cold? Like, like this?!" Sarah asked him motioning toward his only means of clothing being a blanket.

Henri looked down at his near nude body. He blushed – a deep red, but said nothing still.

"Henri... Speak," Sarah stared down at him hard.

"Vhat if I refuse?" Henri dared to mutter.

"James..." Moses said.

"Got it," replied James.

Henri raised an eyebrow as James walked toward him. In a flash James grabbed Henri's arms and held each apart against the back of the chair. Henri let out a small groan.

"Now you have to tell us. And until you do I will not allow you to move," James told him.

Glancing around nervously he noticed Sarah standing by with a worried anticipated, yet angry, look. Saw Moses with crossed arms and a stern expression. And James determined to get the truth out of him in any way necessary.

Henri gulped. All of them were staring at him… waiting. Henri held his ground. He would not give in.

"Well?" Sarah asked him.

Henri gritted his teeth from the pain of his wrists being touched. He jerked his arms to get them free.

"Hey, hey!" James held his arms back harder.

"Let go!" Henri yelled.

"No way! I'm not letting you go just yet." James told him.

Tears streamed down Henri's face.

"S'il tu plaît... you're 'urting me." Henri moaned.

James abruptly let go.

"Sorry," he said.

"Let's start at the beginning. What were you doing in your room this morning, completely unclothed no less?" Sarah asked.

Henri sighed deeply. He wasn't going to get out of this.


	8. Ch 8!

"You know vhat I vas doing," he said quietly, "I vas... cutting myself... for euhh... personal reasons."

James took hold of one of Henri's hands again. He turned it over and looked at his wrist slashed from the dagger. He stroked one of the deeper cuts.

"Ahhh," Henri moaned. The tears were still coming. "Arrêt. Arrêt-toi James, s'il tu plaît. Oh, please stop!"

"Why? You did this to yourself," James said meanly.

"You brought this pain upon yourself, Henri." said Moses. "But James, stop."

James stepped away from Henri who growled at him beneath his breath.

"I simply wonder why you hurt your own body." Sarah said, watching him.

"And how you had the guts to do it, too." James shuddered at the thought.

"It iz eazier knowing my emotional pain will lessen with physical pain being greater," Henri told them in a very low voice.

"I-I never thought of that," stuttered James.

"Nonsense! You just hurt yourself more!" argued Sarah.

"Before we go on let's get Henri into some clothes," Moses told them.

"I agree. James, why don't you go and get his clothes? I'll find a bow for his hair," said Sarah.

"Leave my 'air alone," Henri ordered her.

"All, all right," stammered Sarah warily as James left.

"Leave ME alone. Thiz doesn't concern you," Henri told them.

"But you're hurt," said Sarah.

"We just want to help you, Henri," added Moses.

"I don't vant your 'elp," muttered Henri.

"Yeah you do. You just don't want to admit it," argued James as he walked back in. "Here are your clothes."

Henri took his clothes. "May I dress in private?" he asked quietly.

"We can't let you out of our sight," said Moses. "How about this? Sarah and I will leave. James, do you mind staying?" he asked.

"No problem. I'll watch him like a hawk," laughed James.

Henri glowered at James as the other two walked out. James turned to Henri waiting for him to get dressed. Henri blushed deeply. He couldn't do this...


	9. Ch 9!

While breathing loudly at a slow pace, Henri laid the knife down onto the floor (which it seems he had had the entire time). James eyed the knife, but decided not to get it right away.

Slowly Henri slipped the blanket off... it fell to the floor. He was now completely naked in front of James. James rubbed his left shoulder and blushed a bright pink himself. He was getting very nervous. He saw Henri's handsome French body with cuts also on his legs, arms, and one nice long slit on his chest.

"Ouch. You're a mess," James nearly whispered as he scanned over his entire body.

Henri looked down in shame. He felt so uncomfortable to be seen like this in front of James. Even though they were both in their 20s, he felt uneasy with the private areas of his body showing this visibly – and of what he had done to his body.

With a trembling hand and his head looking down at the floor, Henri put on his clothes... only his breeches (without the stockings). By the time he was about to put on his shirt he stopped. Suddenly he sat back down on his chair. He shook his head roughly letting his hair swing this way and that. James kneeled down in front of Henri and noticed he was sobbing.

"Sarah? Moses?!" he called out.

"Yes, James?" he heard Moses ask from outside the room.

"Is Henri dressed yet?" Sarah's voice came.

James looked back over at Henri. "Well enough... just get in here please!" he yelled out frantically.

Sarah walked in followed by Moses. "Oh my," She also kneeled down in front of Henri. "What is wrong?"

"Maybe we need a doctor. I mean look at him!" James exclaimed.

Henri bit his bottom lip. This was too much for him.

"He's in great pain in more ways than we know and he's crying his heart out!" James continued dramatically.

"This is ripping me apart! I can't stand to see you like this Henri!" Sarah cried out also getting her emotions caught up.

Henri's crying started to lessen. He was just gasping in short breaths trying to calm himself down.

"That's it. Just calm down Henri," said Moses. Worry was in his eyes.

"Excusez-moi," Henri managed to say as his breaths came in longer now, as if apologizing for crying. He pressed a hand against his chest (being careful to avoid the one cut there) which was heaving from his crying and nervous breathing. Sarah looked to be nearly in tears herself. Henri looked so miserable and torn apart both inside and out. He was so depressed.

"I would hug you Henri, but I'm afraid I may hurt you more," she said quietly, expressing her thoughts.

Henri nodded understandingly. He felt terrible. He had been hurt, ashamed, and embarrassed to no end in just that one day. And it was only afternoon at the time. He felt so lost in his emotions...


	10. Ch 10!

"What do we do Moses? We have to do something!" exclaimed James.

"He's obviously not going to give us the entire story." Sarah sighed, "I do not wish him to in the state he's in!"

"You're - of course - right, Sarah," agreed Moses, "but I don't think a doctor's the answer. He's not so ill that a hospital is needed. All he needs is for us to be understanding, caring and calm," he explained.

"Moses..." Henri started suddenly.

Moses, including Sarah and James, turned to Henri. He wore a serious expression.

"I appreciate your vanting to 'elp me, but I am 22 years old. I can take care of myself in any manner I care." Henri sighed deeply, "If and vhen I vant 'elp... I'll tell you. Right now, despite that I... 'urt myself... I'll deal with it myself. Okay?"

"I understand what you're saying Henri, but we're your friends and are worried about you and your health," said Moses.

"I do NOT vant your 'elp. Je suis désolé," Henri said while a silent tear rolled down his cheek.

"What did you say?" asked a clueless James.

"Sorry," repeated Henri.

"Oh," said James embarrassed.

"You NEED our help," Moses said to Henri.

"Let us help you get through this. You may want to handle this yourself, but in this case you DO need us," spoke out Sarah.

Another tear fell loose from his eyes. "Fine. Do vhat you vant. I really do not care about my life anymore, anyway." Several more tears came as Henri said this in a beaten voice. His will and spirit to live had vanished.

All his friends frowned deeply at this. They seemed to be getting nowhere. And they weren't sure what to do anymore...


	11. Ch 11!

Then they all heard Henri's stomach growl. Sarah spoke up.

"Henri, you're starving. Here, let me go get you something to eat," she started to walk away when she felt her arm being pulled back. The grip was surprisingly strong.

"Non, aucune nourriture. No food," she heard Henri say.

She turned her head around and saw that it was Henri who was keeping her back.

"Why not? You must be starving..." she asked.

"You even eat when you AREN'T hungry," remarked James.

Sarah cast a stern glance at James. She walked out when Henri let her go and called back out.

"I'll be right back!" they heard her walk down the stairs.

The next few minutes in the room were quiet. Tensely quiet. The only sound that could be heard was Henri's breathing, which was steady and quiet. Finally the door creaked open and Sarah walked in with a bowl of porridge and a spoon. She gave it to Henri who was hesitant to eat.

"Hello? Anyone here?" called out Dr. Franklin from downstairs as he closed the door behind him.

"Up here!" Moses yelled out.

The stairs made a hollow echoing sound as Dr. Franklin came up.

He walked in the room and asked, "What's going on here?"

"Henri won't eat his porridge," James answered.

"Won't eat?" questioned Dr. Franklin in disbelief.

"Yeah, he's not himself today," James told him.

"He is having a serious problem. He's been physically abusing his person," said Moses worriedly.

"Let me take a look at him," said Dr. Franklin.

The others stepped kindly away as Dr. Franklin kneeled in front of Henri. He noticed that his eyes were very tired.

"How much sleep did you get?" he asked in a gentle voice.

Henri muttered an answer.

"Pardon?" asked Dr. Franklin.

Henri answered him quietly, "I'd say about two hourz."

He nodded as his eyes searched his body. He saw the long slit on Henri's bare chest.

"What did you use to do this to yourself?" he asked.

In a low voice, and eyes shut, Henri replied, "To my left."

Dr. Franklin's expression was at first in confusion. He curiously looked to his right and saw the small knife. He picked it up and noticed the dried blood on it...


	12. Ch 12!

"Seems you've been going to the extreme in this, um, practice of yours," said Dr. Franklin gravely.

Henri stared up at him and said nothing.

"What I don't understand is why you are doing this? It is very dangerous and harmful to your body," said Dr. Franklin.

"It's also in the terms of crazy, insane, mad, demented, deranged, irrational..." rambled on James.

Sarah cut him off, "THANK-YOU James. I'm sure we get it. Dr. Franklin," she turned to him, "I am just as confused and cannot comprehend the reasons behind Henri's doings. We must help him!"

"Well, I'll see what I can do," he assured her.

"I don't vant 'elp from any of you! I'll 'elp myself!!" yelled Henri angrily.

"You really are having mood swings today," James commented, a little scared of Henri.

"James... leave him be. How could you torment the poor child so?" said an enraged Sarah.

As Henri scowled at the 'child' remark, James was silent.

Dr. Franklin cleared his throat, "I believe the best thing to do is have him take a nap. He's dreadfully tired. Heaven knows even I wouldn't be able to answer any question thrown at me if I were as tired as him."

"Good idea. I'll get his bed ready," agreed Moses.

James crossed his arms, "But what if he sneaks out and... does suicide or something? I mean... can we trust him?" he looked at Henri uncertainly.

"My goodness, James! Do you really think Henri would do that? He's almost asleep right now. And besides, he wouldn't just go off and do something like that. That's not like him... or how I thought before he did this..." Sarah drifted off and suddenly went up the stairs to help with the blankets leaving James, Dr. Franklin, and of course, Henri.

"James, why don't you go out and take a walk? It'll do you a world of good," advised Dr. Franklin.

"Well..." he took another glimpse at Henri, "okay." He grabbed his jacket and opened the door, "I'll be back when I think it's safe." He left.

Dr. Franklin turned to Henri to see he was nearly asleep – his yelling earlier probably took his last ounce of energy. Most likely haven't heard a word of the past conversation. He was very concerned of the French boy who was now growing into a young man. He never imagined this would happen when he first took him in so long ago...


	13. Ch 13!

Sarah opened her eyes groggily. The sun peered through a small window and directly into her eyes. 'Not a good way to start the day,' Sarah thought. She sighed and went downstairs to see Dr. Franklin and Moses discussing something in the print shop's main room... she also saw Henri keeping to himself by the door waiting.

Dr. Franklin looked up at Sarah just as James was entering the room with a jacket. "Good morning, dear Sarah." He smiled.

"Same to you, sir. Um, what is going on?" she questioned.

"We're about to take Henri to Dr. Franklin's Pennsylvania Hospital." Moses explained, "Are you coming James?"

"Yup… You're going to need my help to keep an eye out on Henri. I bet he's going to get into trouble," James told them.

"I said it before and I'll say it again, Henri is not looking for trouble. He just needs help." Sarah argued.

"How about you both come along?" Moses asked.

"Fine," They both replied.

While they walked to the hospital a loud fearful yell was heard.

"Oh, my! What was that?" Sarah looked around in fright.

"Henri's gone!" James exclaimed.

"I'm afraid Henri got away from us. We'll have to search for him," Dr. Franklin stated.

"I'll get him," James offered.

"I... I guess you were right James. About him looking for trouble that is..." Sarah admitted.

"Aren't I always right?" He grinned.

"Perhaps he went to get something instead?" Sarah figured.

"No, he ran away. Probably off to kill himself," James said cold-heartedly.

"James!!" Sarah yelled in surprise.

"That is no way to talk about Henri. Come on you two, we have a person to find," Moses ordered.

At that moment another yell was heard. Dr. Franklin spotted Henri. "He's over there near the boats."

The group ran over there. "Henri! What are you doing?" Sarah cried out.

Henri said nothing.

"We have to get you to the hospital," James told him.

"I... I can't go," Henri said.

"Why can't you go?" Dr. Franklin asked in a calm voice.

Henri mumbled, "I'm meeting someone 'ere."

"And who would that be?" Moses asked.

"That would be me," Called out a voice.


	14. Ch 14!

A big man stood over the small Henri. "I've been looking for a French boy. I knew he'd be in his 20s by now. It took me all these years to find him. And now I'm taking him back..." he said menacingly.

"Take him back?" Sarah asked the large man.

"He doesn't belong to you!" James shouted.

"Oh, yeah? Read 'em and weep." The man shook a paper in front of Dr. Franklin's face.

After Dr. Franklin read it, "Oh my... it seems this is the man that took Henri as a slave when he was six years old."

"That's right. And he's still my property. I oughta get money out of ya people for stealing him under my nose!" He scowled at them.

"You had him locked up on a boat, sir!" said an enraged Sarah.

"Oh, so they told ya that did they missy?" He smiled cruelly, "I wanted him to bring ya guys here so I could talk to ya'll. I want money."

"You're not getting any money from us!" James yelled. "Come on, Henri." He grabbed his hand – as if he were a child - and started walking.

"Hold on, James. We need to talk to him." Moses told him.

"But..." James protested.

"No buts," Said Moses.

Henri just trembled in fear under James' hold of him, not angry at being lead away by hand.

"Do not worry, Henri. You're not going anywhere." Sarah assured him.

"Oh yes he is." The man firmly grabbed Henri who looked up at him scared.

"Can we please talk about this in a calm manner?" Moses asked.

"I can pay you for us to keep Henri. We've had him all these years now." Dr. Franklin told the man.

Henri spoke up in a tiny, but hard voice to Dr. Franklin, "I never belonged to you."

"You never did Henri. We just took you in so you could have a home." Moses told him gently.

"He belongs to me!" The 'owner' yelled.

"Will you take us up on our offer?" Moses asked him.

"Depends how much money you'll pay me." He said.

"Enough," Dr. Franklin guaranteed him.

"Fine... take the boy then. I don't need 'im," Frowned the man. He let go of Henri.

"Can we go now and take him to the hospital?" James asked.

"Go ahead James. You go with them Sarah. We'll be right there." Dr. Franklin said.

The two left, having to pull Henri with them because he was frozen in fright.

When they got to the hospital:

"You'll be fine here, Henri. They'll take care of you." James told him.

Henri was lying in a bed.

"Dr. Franklin and Moses will be here soon. I'm sure they took care of that awful man," Sarah said confidently.

Henri bit his lip.

"You all right, man?" James asked the quiet Henri.

Henri shook his head.

"Well of course he's not all right. He's hurt. But don't you worry, Henri, you'll be helped here and we'll see you again in a few weeks. You can tell us your situation then," Sarah's words relaxed Henri.

Just then Dr. Franklin and Moses entered.

"Dr. Franklin, what happened back there?" James asked excitedly.

"We took care of it. We paid him and now he's going to leave Henri alone," Moses answered.

Sarah breathed a sigh of relief. "You hear that Henri? You'll never see him again."

Henri gave her a small smile and closed his eyes.

"We better go now. He needs his sleep." Dr. Franklin said.

"You both just got here!" James said.

"James... let's go. We'll see him when he's better. Dr. Franklin's right," Sarah agreed.

"Do you think he'll get better? I feel like we don't know the whole story. I'm worried about him," James said anxiously.

"We all are, James," Sarah told him with troubled eyes.

Dr. Franklin and Moses left with one last look at Henri sleeping. Sarah followed.

"Coming, James?" She asked turning around.

"In a second, Sarah," He replied.

She nodded then left.

James looked at Henri. "I hope they're right."

He left feeling lost about the situation.


	15. Ch 15!

Henri woke up finding himself feeling refreshed. He looked around the small room – it was dirty and dry – somehow reminding him of a prison cell. Next to him was another bed - empty. "Wha-… what's going on 'ere?!"

A nurse, hearing him, rushed into the room and over to his side, "No need to worry, young man. You're safe here. Your friends brought you over to rest."

"To… rest?" Henri said, still puzzled.

"You're at Dr. Franklin's Pennsylvania Hospital. We're here to take care of you until you're better," She told him.

Henri lied back down still a little uneasy. His memory of this came back to him in flash. "Oh… right." He looked up at the nurse a little embarrassed.

"Would you like some breakfast?" She asked him.

"It's morning, already?" He frowned.

"10 a.m. You slept late – you needed it though. You seemed half dead when you came in." She laughed to herself at the inappropriate saying. Henri seemed a bit miffed.

"We have milk and fresh eggs," She announced.

Henri nodded giving her permission. She left the basement cell.

"Vhat is vrong vith me?" He asked himself out loud. He lied down and stared at the ceiling. It had a few cracks in it. Henri concentrated on them until his eyes became blurry.

"Here we go… a nice little breakfast for the new crazy patient." She said cheerily coming back in. She gave him the plate of eggs and his drink.

"Merci… euhh, crazy?" Henri realized what she said.

"'course! You're a lunatic. And don't you worry – we'll get you started on hydrotherapy today. You'll be feeling good as new! Well, mm, that's what we're reachin' for." She shrugged and walked out leaving Henri behind to ponder.

Henri shuddered in fright and put his breakfast on the floor beside him. "I've got to get out of 'ere!" Something about the place, despite it being a hospital, made Henri feel very, very unsafe.


	16. Ch 16!

Over the course of the next few weeks poor Henri was brutally beaten and abused. On one occasion, one week into his stay, the nurse walked in.

Henri started to sweat with trepidation. "Vhat… vhat vill 'appen to me?"

"Something to cure your crazy symptoms." She said simply.

Henri started mumbling in French to himself softly, to comfort himself.

"Y'see? You're broken. Like an animal" Henri stared at her with the coldest eyes, "– no reason or culture in ya," She continued, unfazed. "That's what the cold water's for, kid: To shock your system awake. Knock some sense into you." She grabbed him by an arm roughly and pulled him out the room. Henri, small as he was, was powerless to the brute woman. "We were nice the first day. Eggs and milk… it was luxury for a lunatic like you. But you didn't eat. No matter – your kind aren't worth feedin'." She frowned in a disgusted manner as she continued walking, "Swill's enough." She stopped and threw him onto the floor – hard.

"Ennnnh!" Henri moaned. He stayed on the floor. The room was hot and humid. He moved his head up slightly to see black boots in front of his face. "That'll be all, Angela." He waved her off.

"Stand up, swine!" The stern man yelled.

Henri stayed down… fearful for his life. "They were right. Stubborn like a mule – I can fix that. Time for the treatment, pig." A chill shot up Henri's spine as the man picked him up and plunked him into a large curvy tub that was made of stainless steel. "Froid!! L'eau froide!!" Henri yelled – his skin coming into sudden shocking contact with frigid water stimulating his every nerve.

"Maybe this time the water will eliminate any diseases you carry." The man watched Henri thrash in the water and held him down. "This is for acting up. You get what you get." A second thought came into his head. "You should be happy. This might fix you up. You could be normal again." He pushed Henri into the water almost drowning him.

"Sortez-moi d'ici! Ayez la pitié! Je vous prie de faire!!" Henri cried out. The man only ignored him.


	17. Ch 17!

_Warning: This ending chapter is graphic. Read at own risk._

Henri coughs and shivers in the little, dehydrated room. He has rings under his eyes and his small, frail body seems even smaller and even frailer. All of the energy that was ever present in Henri since he was committed to the hospital has left him - every ounce is gone and irretrievable. Sweat beads gather at his forehead, but he continues to shiver. "You French trash!", "Raving lunatic!", "Disgusting Pig!"... All these yells pulse through his head knocking it into a hurt he didn't know he could feel. Months had he been here now and his family has not been allowed to visit him at all.

"Laissez-moi mourir... juste, s'il vous plaît," he whimpers into the unfeeling room. No one can hear him. No one cares. "Laissez-moi mourir."

He thinks back to the day before when he taken to a secluded dungeon.

"Ahhhh! Ah non... pas plus. Je ne peux le prendre plus!!" Henri screams out.

"This is for your own good! We must let the demon that has possessed you out!" The man whips Henri again with malice clear across his chest opening up his healing cut even more.

"Nnnnh." Henri droops his head... losing energy to even cry.

The man continues whipping Henri roughly 500 times in all. Henri hangs from the ceiling chained upside down. As he's tortured like a piece of freshly slaughtered meat his blood drips into an ever growing puddle onto the floor. At the end Henri is unrecognizable: His battered body is black and blue with bruises... his eyes blackened and swollen. His head is pounding beyond comprehension.

The man smiles, congratulating himself. "Not ranting any more... he must be cured. Thank-you Lord for having the devil leave him!" The man leaves Henri to hang and walks out. Henri shortly after becomes unconscious for several hours.

Now he's back in his usual cell. He feels no longer human - no longer alive in any sense of the word but literal - and barely that. With one last thought of pleading Henri collapses to the floor... his wish fulfilled and all the misery and agony of the past year leave with it. He is now, finally, at peace.


End file.
